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About NUI Galway

Since 1845, NUI Galway has been sharing the highest quality teaching and research with Ireland and the world. Find out what makes our University so special – from our distinguished history to the latest news and campus developments.

Dr Elaine Keane

Biography

Dr Elaine Keane is a Lecturer in Sociology of Education & Research Methods in the School of Education at NUI Galway since 2006, where she is also Director of Doctoral Studies and Chair of the Research Committee. Previously a researcher in the Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (NUI Galway), and Project Co-ordinator of open distance learning access programmes (Lionra, Regional Higher Education Network), she also worked as a post-primary school teacher of languages and Civic, Social and Political Education. Her research focus is widening participation in higher education, including in initial teacher education, and she has particular interests in social class in education and grounded theory. She is Principal Investigator of the Irish Research Council-funded Diversity in Initial Teacher Education (DITE) national project (exploring the socio-demographic profiles, career motivations, and experiences with diversity of applicants and entrants to ITE programmes in Ireland), and the Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Employment Experiences of NUI Galway Access Students project, funded by Galway University Foundation. She has published in a range of journals, and in 2013 she authored the Ireland report for a six-country study of widening participation effectiveness, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). She is one of an international team of co-authors of Reflective Teaching in Higher Education (Bloomsbury, 2015), and co-author of a chapter on constructivist grounded theory (CGT) in social justice research with Professors Kathy Charmaz (originator of CGT) & Robert Thornberg in the fifth edition of the Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (eds. Norman Denzin and Yvonna Lincoln, 2017). Her work on CGT has been showcased in several of Charmaz's publications in recent years and she has conducted CGT workshops in the USA (invited by Prof. Denzin, University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign) and the UK (invited by Prof. Stephen Ball, Institute of Education, London).

Elaine is a member of the Editorial Board of the UK journal Teaching in Higher Education (http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cthe20) and of The Adult Learner Journal (AONTAS). She reviews for a range of journals, includingThe Journal of Education Policy, Studies in Higher Education, Teaching in Higher Education, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, and Irish Educational Studies.

Research Interests

Widening Participation in Higher Education (Principal Investigator of NUIG-funded Access research project)Diversity in Initial Teacher Education (DITE) (Principal Investigator of IRC-funded DITE national project)Social class and 'race'/ethnicity in education at school and higher education levelsQualitative research methodologies, including constructivist grounded theory.

Research Projects

Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Early Labour Market Experiences of NUI Galway Access and Foundation Course Students

18-MAY-12

01-JAN-16

MF07-P29 WIDENING PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATIO

01-OCT-07

31-MAR-09

LEARNING TO TEACH FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH CIVIC

01-SEP-08

31-DEC-21

From Engaging the 'Margins' to Transforming the Core: Considering International Best Practice in Embedding Inclusivity in Higher Education.

Global Citizenship and Diversity Literacies Project:

17-AUG-10

12-OCT-11

The Education, Diversity and Social Justice Workshop for Teachers

27-JAN-12

Gender, Education and the Knowledge Economy

30-DEC-11

Contract Researchers

Researcher Name

Project

Role

Funding Body

Dr Conor Foley

Diversity in Initial Teacher Education (DITE)

Post-doctoral researcher

Aoife O'Brien

Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Early Labour Market Experiences of NUI Galway Access and Foundation Course Students

Research Assistant

Aoife O'Brien

Diversity in Initial Teacher Education (DITE) in Ireland

Research Assistant

Peer Reviewed Journals

Year

Publication

(2018)

'Working-class student teachers: Not being encouraged at school and impact on motivation to become a teacher'
Keane, E., Heinz., M., and Lynch, A. (2018) 'Working-class student teachers: Not being encouraged at school and impact on motivation to become a teacher'. Education Research and Perspectives, 45 [ARAN Link] [Details]

'Education comes second to surviving: parental perspectives on their child/rens early school leaving in an area challenged by marginalisation'
Doyle, G. and Keane, E. (2018) 'Education comes second to surviving: parental perspectives on their child/rens early school leaving in an area challenged by marginalisation'. Irish Educational Studies, [Details]

(2018)

'I will do it but religion is a very personal thing: Teacher education applicants' attitudes towards teaching religion in Ireland'
Heinz, M., Davison, K., Keane, E. (2018) 'I will do it but religion is a very personal thing: Teacher education applicants' attitudes towards teaching religion in Ireland'. European Journal Of Teacher Education, [DOI] [Details]

(2018)

'Fit(ness) to teach?: disability and initial Teacher education in the republic of Ireland'
Keane, E.; Heinz, M., Eaton, P. (2018) 'Fit(ness) to teach?: disability and initial Teacher education in the republic of Ireland'. International Journal Of Inclusive Education, [DOI] [Details]

'Being altruistically motivated: the postgraduate and career motivational orientations of access students at an Irish university'
Keane, E. (2016) 'Being altruistically motivated: the postgraduate and career motivational orientations of access students at an Irish university'. Cambridge Journal Of Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764x.2016.1221886 [DOI] [Details]

(2016)

'Considering the Impact of Widening Participation: The Employment Experiences of Access Graduates from an Irish University'
Keane, E. (2016) 'Considering the Impact of Widening Participation: The Employment Experiences of Access Graduates from an Irish University'. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 18 (2):130-153 [Details]

(2016)

'Excavating an Injustice?: Nationality/ies, Ethnicity/ies, and Experiences with Diversity of Initial Teacher Education Applicants and Entrants in Ireland in 2014'
Keane, E. and Heinz, M. (2016) 'Excavating an Injustice?: Nationality/ies, Ethnicity/ies, and Experiences with Diversity of Initial Teacher Education Applicants and Entrants in Ireland in 2014'. European Journal Of Teacher Education, 39 (4):507-527 [DOI] [Details]

'Considering the practical implementation of constructivist grounded theory in a study of widening participation in Irish higher education'
Keane, E. (2014) 'Considering the practical implementation of constructivist grounded theory in a study of widening participation in Irish higher education'. International Journal Of Social Research Methodology, 18 (4):415-431 [DOI] [Details]

'Distancing to self-protect: the perpetuation of inequality in higher education through socio-relational dis/engagement'
Keane, E (2011) 'Distancing to self-protect: the perpetuation of inequality in higher education through socio-relational dis/engagement'. British Journal Of Sociology Of Education, 32 (3):449-466 [DOI] [Details]

(2011)

'Dependence-deconstruction: widening participation and traditional-entry students transitioning from school to higher education in Ireland'
Keane, E (2011) 'Dependence-deconstruction: widening participation and traditional-entry students transitioning from school to higher education in Ireland'. Teaching in Higher Education, 16 (6):707-718 [DOI] [Details]

Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)
Keane, E. (2008) Valuing higher education? The genesis, nature and implications of 'conscious' and 'unconscious' progression to higher education . In: CD ROM eds. Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Liverpool, UK, [Details]

(2007)

Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)
Keane, E. (2007) In college everything is left up to you': An exploration & comparison of 'former access and 'traditional-entry students perspectives on learning at university Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) [Details]

Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conference New Perspectives on Research into Higher Education
Keane, E. (2005) Learning, teaching, assessment and academic culture: Former school-leaver access students experiences of university Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Annual Conference New Perspectives on Research into Higher Education [Details]

'The transformative potential of service/community-based learning as a pedagogy for diversity and social justice in teacher education: A case study from Ireland'
Keane, E.; Boland, J. (2013) 'The transformative potential of service/community-based learning as a pedagogy for diversity and social justice in teacher education: A case study from Ireland' In: Service learning and educating in challenging contexts: International perspectives. London: Continuum books.
[Details]

Consultancy

Year

Publication

(2007)

International Review and Synthesis of Initiatives to Widen Participation in Higher Education. Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
Keane, E. (2007) International Review and Synthesis of Initiatives to Widen Participation in Higher Education. Department for Education and Skills (DfES). (UK): Consultancy [Details]

'Leading Education: The Distinct Contributions of Educational Research and Researchers', European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) 2016,
Heinz, M., Davison, K. and Keane, E. (2016) Catholic missionaries for Irish schools? Exploring religious affiliations and convictions of initial teacher education applicants and entrants in the Republic of Ireland. [Oral Presentation], 'Leading Education: The Distinct Contributions of Educational Research and Researchers', European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) 2016, University College Dublin , 22-AUG-16 - 26-AUG-16.
[Details]

Invited Workshop for Staff and Students at IoE, London,
Keane, E. (2014) Wrestling with the -ologies and Paradigmatic Situatedness? Considering their Practical Research Relevance through an Example of a Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Widening Participation and Higher Education. [Invited Oral Presentation], Invited Workshop for Staff and Students at IoE, London, Institute of Education, University of London , 20-MAY-14.
[Details]

A review of the key literature on the nature of student learning in higher education and its relationship to approaches to teaching. Briefing paper I for academic staff, Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT).
Keane, E. (2004) A review of the key literature on the nature of student learning in higher education and its relationship to approaches to teaching. Briefing paper I for academic staff, Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT). NUI Galway: Non Published Reports [Details]

Outreach Activities

Description

Steering Committee Education Group Galway Traveller Movement

Learning to Teach for Social Justice Service Learning Module in the PDE

The Education, Diversity and Social Justice Workshop for Teachers: Initially developed by the Galway Traveller Movement in 2008 for delivery to practising teachers, this workshop is being re-designed by the School of Education (Elaine Keane) and a number of community partners to include numerous forms of diversity and for wider implementation. A working group, comprising representatives from the School of Education, the Galway Traveller Movement, the Galway Refugee Support Group, the Galway One World Centre, SHOUT (a local LBGT group), the St. Vincent de Paul and the Galway City Partnership has been formed and meets regularly to collaboratively plan and design the workshop. The aim of the workshop is to support teachers development as educators committed to a social justice ethos, through an interrogation of their own class, ethnic, gender and dis/ability positionality and through an exploration of pedagogies for social justice.

Community Engagement

Title

Type

From / To

Outreach

Steering Committee Education Group Galway Traveller Movement

/

Outreach

The Education, Diversity and Social Justice Workshop for Teachers: Initially developed by the

/

Outreach

Learning to Teach for Social Justice Service Learning Module in the PDE

/

Reviews

Journal

Role

Teaching in Higher Education

Editoral Board

Irish Educational Studies

Reviewer

Studies In Higher Education

Reviewer

International Journal of Education and Culture

Editoral Board

The Adult Learner (Aontas)

Editoral Board

Journal Of Education Policy

Reviewer

Teaching Interests

I am the Director of the MEd, Chair of the SoE Research Committee, and
Director of Doctoral Studies. My teaching focuses on Sociology of Education (issues of equity and diversity in education across a range of modules) in PME Years 1 and 2 and MEd Year 1, and on general and qualitative research methodologies in PME Year 2 and MEd Year 2. I supervise research at MEd and PhD levels, and supervise school placement students on the PME. I also contribute to CELT's Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

Current Postgraduate Students (Taught)

Name

Degree

Primary Supervisor

Olive Whyte

Master of Education

Y

Aine Bird

Master of Education

Y

Jacqueline Dockery

Master of Education

Y

Recent Postgraduate Students

Graduation

Name

Degree

Primary Supervisor

2016

Una NiSheanain

PhD

Y

Current Postgraduate Students (Research)

Student

Degree Type

Type

Devon Goodwin

Doctorate - Structured Ph.D. in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Supervisor

Modules Taught

Term/Year

Module Title

Module Code

Subject / Desc

2016-2017

PME1 Educational Sciences 1

ED6100

2016-2017

MEd Research Methodologies in Education

ED289

15 ECTS

2016-2017

PME1 Professional Studies 1

ED6101

2016-2017

PME1 Professional Practice & School Placement

ED6102

2016-2017

PME2 Educational Sciences 2

ED6200

2016-2017

PME2 Practitioner Research

ED6201

About NUI Galway

Founded in 1845, we've been inspiring students for 170 years. NUI Galway has earned international recognition as a research-led university with a commitment to top quality teaching.